HOMELESS YOUTH TURN TO DRUGS, PROSTITUTION

There has been less of a demand for services that cater to the
homeless, according to Dans la Rue, a Montreal-based charity.
Unfortunately, the decline in demand is not a result of a decline in
the number of homeless, said the organization's director of
development and communications, Dorothy Massimo. Rather, it is a
result of homeless kids turning to dangerous alternatives.

The organization, which runs a community centre and offers other
services for the city's homeless said it has seen a decrease in
demand over the past several months.

"It's definitely not a good thing," Massimo said. "I would love to
say that we're less busy because there's less homeless kids, but
that's not the case."

While she cautioned it is still too early to make definite
conclusions, she said the organization's workers have noticed an
alarming trend - at risk youth are increasingly turning to
prostitution and drug dealing.

"I don't know what it is. Prostitution has started to move more to
the male side, too. They're making more money selling drugs or
getting into prostitution."

Despite this, as winter progresses, she said she expects to see
demand increase. While December is often quieter because homeless
youth return home for the holidays, the ensuing months are some of
the busiest for Montreal homeless shelters.

As soon as the temperature begins to drop, shelters such as Dans La
Rue and the Old Brewery Mission are forced to help greater numbers of
homeless seeking refuge from the cold. According to the Old Brewery
Mission, 20 per cent of Canada's homeless reside in Quebec, with
30,000 of those in Montreal alone.

With Dans La Rue doing "very well" financially, the greater challenge
is no longer fundraising, but reaching out to those in greatest need
of their services. But Massimo is confident they can reverse the trend.

"The ones who just started on the street aren't coming to us right
away," she said. "But our van is still out there. And they always
know if they come to us they'll be well treated. That's how we're
still connecting with kids.

As long as they're still on the street, they will eventually come to us."